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Joe Espada has been with the Houston Astros for nine years as bench coach and then manager. There does not appear to be a tenth year in his future.

Last week, former Fox 26 Houston sports director Will Kunkel reported that the Astros would begin the search for both GM and manager after October 31:

Today, a new report from MLB.com states that Espada will actually be interviewing for another job with a division rival:

Back on August 24, Bob Nightengale had initially reported that a senior Astros official had said that Espada was told he wouldn’t be returning at the same time Dana Brown was fired as GM, but that he agreed to stay on the rest of the year. The team would later deny that, but the chain of events seems to indicate that the denial had more to do with the information leaking at the same time Espada was away from the team with a family emergency and not that the information was incorrect.

The Astros look like they will have a full regime change for 2027.

The Seattle Mariners have received permission to interview Houston Astros manager Joe Espada, per reports.

In normal circumstances, this would be quite unusual — a team granting a division rival permission to interview their manager for the rival team’s open managerial spot. However, this is the Houston Astros we are talking about, where circumstances are rarely normal.

This is the final year of Espada’s current deal with Houston. After spending six years as a bench coach for the club, he was named the team’s manager after Dusty Baker retired following the 2023 season. Houston has not met expectations during Espada’s time at the helm — the club has won 88, 87 and 81 games the past three seasons, and though they won the division twice, they were swept in the Wild Card round each time.

The Astros failing to meet owner Jim Crane’s expectations would seem to have more to do with the failings of the front office than Espada, however, and Crane did fire general manager Dana Brown in late August. Brown, like Espada, was in the final year of his contract. Crane announced when Brown was fired that he (Crane) would oversee baseball operations until a new general manager was hired.

Espada is technically under contract with the Astros until the World Series ends, which is why the Mariners need permission to interview him even though the Astros’ season is over. The fact that the Astros are granting permission would seem to indicate that they are not planning on Espada returning for 2027.

The Mariners are seeking a new manager after firing Dan Wilson after their disappointing 2026 campaign. Wilson was named the manager for the Mariners late in the 2024 season after the M’s fired Scott Servais, who had been their manager since 2016. Wilson, who had spent parts of 12 seasons with the Mariners as their catcher, is described in the link at the start of this post as a “franchise icon” in Seattle, and after leading Seattle to the ALCS in 2025 — just their second postseason appearance since 2001 — he seemed to be on solid footing.

But the Mariners were seen as one of the biggest underachievers (non-Mets category) in the majors this year, ending the season at 76-86, despite being the consensus favorites to repeat as division champs in the West.

The first game of the American League Championship Series was going splendidly for the Tampa Bay Rays, until it wasn’t.

The Rays offense took a 2-0 lead early and Drew Rasmussen battled through a tough Cleveland offense for six innings. He was hit around a bunch, but worked around trouble. Unfortunately, the Guardians were able to launch a pair of solo homeruns to tie the game and boot Rasmussen from the game. Then the Rays bullpen, which was absolutely nails in the ALDS, unraveled and allowed the Guardians to score five runs over the final two frames and Cleveland cruised to a 7-3 game one victory.

Tonight the Rays will look to even out the series before it heads to Cleveland on Thursday and they’ll rest their hopes on Freddy Peralta.

Not many pitchers produced better results than Peralta over the last month of the season. The league certainly didn’t think so as Peralta was named the American League Pitcher of the Month in September.

During the ALDS, the Rays called upon Peralta to start the second game against the New York Yankees. Following Drew Rasmussen’s dominance from the day before, Peralta was excellent as he held the Yankees hitless over the first three frames. The unstoppable Ben Rice ended that in the 4th when he launched a solo homerun and then Peralta’s command abandoned him in the 5th inning leading to Kevin Cash going to the bullpen. Overall, Peralta worked 4.2 innings, allowing a run on three hits, while he walked one and struck out three.

The Rays offense will have a tough challenge as Cleveland sends southpaw Parker Messick to the mound. Messick was fantastic during his brief run with the Guardians towards the end of the 2025 season. In 2026, Messick proved that was no fluke as he dominated opposing lineups. Over 32 starts, Messick compiled a 2.56 ERA | 3.07 FIP with a 25.8 K% & 6.6 BB% over 186.1 IP. He finished among the league leaders in most important pitching categories.

During their ALDS, the Guardians called upon Messick twice. Usually Messick has impeccable command but it faltered during his two outings as he walked 19.4% of the opposing hitters he faced over 6.2 IP. Overall, Messick allowed 4 runs on 6 hits, while he walked 6 and struck out 11 over his appearances. He most recently pitched on the 8th in game four, where he was pulled in the third inning after allowing two runs on two hits with four walks and five strikeouts.

The Rays offense continues to sputter in the playoffs and the team will need more from their offensive stars if they hopes to advance further. The team as a whole currently has a 67 wRC+ and is hitting .209/.261/.341 over their four playoff games thus far, averaging just over 3 runs a game.

Will the Rays be able to overcome Parker Messick and rediscover their offensive footing? We’ll find out later tonight.

It’s time to bench Shohei Ohtani.

Do it delicately. Do it with respect. But just do it.

“I think for me, it’s having a conversation with him tomorrow, kind of try to figure out what’s best for him, what’s best for us,’’ Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic after the Dodgers fell behind the Milwaukee Brewers two games to none in the National League Championship Series. “He certainly has earned that conversation and deserves it.”

That sounds dangerously wishy-washy.

Forget about figuring out what’s right for Ohtani, the Dodgers superstar. It’s time to focus on what’s right for the Dodgers – and that was eminently clear on Tuesday, Oct. 14 in Game 2 of the NLCS.

Ohtani, the team’s designated hitter, went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. His postseason batting average dropped to .150. That’s 3-for-20 at the plate without a single extra-base hit. He has also managed to draw three walks to score two runs, and that’s not nearly enough for a designated hitter with a team in dire straits.

Every year during the Winter Meetings, teams hold the Rule 5 draft, which allows them to select eligible minor leaguers who have not been added to their organizations’ 40-man rosters. With the current labor deal set to expire on December 1 and a work stoppage looming, it is unclear whether the draft will take place as scheduled. In 2021, the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft was postponed indefinitely during the lockout, although the minor league phase proceeded as scheduled. MLB and the union could agree to hold the major league draft before the current labor deal expires.

The Royals currently have a full 40-man roster, plus eight players on the 60-day Injured List that will need to be activated once the offseason begins. Carlos Estévez, Jonathan India, Craig Kimbrel, Luke Maile, and Josh Rojas will all come off the roster as free agents after the World Series. That will mean a lot of additional roster clearing just to get the roster back down to 40, let alone enough to clear spots to add new players.

Players are eligible after four seasons in the minors if they signed at age 19 or later, or after five seasons if they signed younger than age 19. That means this year, the college draftees from 2023 become eligible, while all signees from 2022 and before are eligible. Selected players must stay on the MLB roster all season or be offered back to their original teams. Teams can protect eligible players by placing them on the 40-man roster by late November.

Teams overwhelmingly select pitchers more than hitters, and if they do choose hitters, it is usually guys who can come off the bench – utility players, backup catchers, and speedsters. The caveat to adding any player to the 40-man roster is that the player would be unable to have contact with the club, participate in spring training, or even play in games if there is a prolonged work stoppage. Assuming there is a Rule 5 draft, and assuming the rules won’t change, who do the Royals need to consider protecting?

Will be protected

Lucas Braun was acquired from the Braves in the Lane Thomas trade, and the right-hander could be in the mix for a rotation spot at some point next year. He had a solid 4.16 ERA with 8.2 strikeouts-per-nine innings across Double-A and Triple-A. The 25-year-old won’t blow anyone away with velocity, but he uses command, deception, a deep arsenal of pitches, and a lower arm angle to generate good results.

Carson Roccaforte is a slam-dunk to be added after a 35 HR/32 SB season in which he hit .257/.338/.519 across Double-A and Triple-A. Roccaforte turns 25 in late March, and he should be in the outfield mix for next season, although he is a left-handed bat and the Royals are already lefty-heavy in the outfield.

Could be protected

Felix Arronde flashes good stuff, but his inability to miss bats really hurt his performance this year. He started out okay, but was awful in the second half with a 9.76 ERA in his last nine starts. Overall he posted a 6.49 ERA in 105.1 innings with Northwest Arkansas, after a promising season the year before. The Cuban right-hander is still just 23 years old and has a mid-90s fastball with a curve and split-fingered changeup. He is ranked #15 in the farm system by Baseball America and could be seen as a good project for an organization good at developing pitchers.

Gavin Cross has had a very enigmatic career, but he seemed to turn a corner this summer. The former first-round pick turned it on in mid-May and hit .291/.334/.535 with 17 home runs in his last 82 games. He has the pedigree and the power, but the strikeouts are still a big concern. Like Roccaforte, he is left-handed, so the Royals may find him expendable.

Brett Squires smashed 31 home runs last year, hitting .277/.351/.549 with 24 steals to boot. The undrafted free agent has hit in the minors, but will be 27 years old by next spring. Older hitters who rake in the upper minors are typically unprotected, and only two first basemen have been selected in the Rule 5 draft in the last decade – Mike Ford (2017) and Ryan Noda (2022).

Long shots to be protected

Jacob Berry was acquired from the Marlins midseason and hit .251/.350/.416 overall at Triple-A with 12 home runs and 19 steals. He’s a former first-round pick whose power has never materialized, but displays good contact rates. He’s a switch-hitter and the Royals had him play second, third, and outfielder, so he could have some value as a utility player.

Austin Charles is an intriguing, toolsy athlete who combines power, speed, and a terrific arm. He has also had trouble staying on the field, and was limited to just 45 games at High-A this year. He is just 22 year old, and jumping to the big leagues is a big stretch considering his lack of a track record, but he did look impressive this year, hitting .285/.353/.491.

Derlin Figueroa had the third-most home runs in the farm system with 26, behind Roccaforte and Squires. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter had a line of .252/.324/.515 with 18 steals in High-A for the Quad Cities River Bandits. He plays first and third, positions teams don’t typically take in the draft, and the big leagues would be a big jump.

Frank Mozzicato wasn’t protected or selected last year, and seems unlikely to be an option this year either after putting up an 8.04 ERA with 72 walks in 71.2 innings. And yet, is there a team out there that thinks they can work with his plus curveball, add some velo to his fastball and shape up his command? Probably not.

Spencer Nivens is a Columbia, Missouri native and former Missouri State outfielder who hit .280/.365/.446 with nine home runs and 17 steals in 104 games in his second tour of Northwest Arkansas. He has a really good eye at the plate with good walk numbers and low strikeout numbers. He is another left-handed outfield bat, so the Royals may not feel the need to protect him.

Hunter Owen has shown good strikeout rates the last two seasons, but was hit a lot more this year, causing his ERA to rise to 5.94 for Northwest Arkansas. He’s a lefty who can miss bats, a profile that teams frequently like to take in the Rule 5 draft, so I think the Royals would have to at least consider protecting him despite his poor ERA.

Jack Pineda did nothing but hit this year. He had an impressive line of .371/.443/.548 in 59 games at Double-A, then hit .302/.337/.488 in 22 games for Omaha. But he has never really done this before, with very weak offensive numbers prior to 2026. The 27-year-old is able to play all over the infield, which is attractive to teams, and he could be selected if a team feels he figured something out this year.

Daniel Vázquez is a glove-first shortstop who raised eyebrows last fall with a very impressive performance in the Arizona Fall League. But his offense fell flat this year at Double-A, with a line of .246/.315/.328 and just four home runs in 124 games. He is just 22 years old and his glove may be MLB ready, so a team could take a gamble on him if they think his bat will catch up eventually.

Peyton Wilson has been a good organizational soldier, hitting at every level and playing wherever the Royals ask him. That kind of versatility could be attractive to teams looking at him in the Rule 5 draft, but he will be 27 next year and his upside is low enough that I don’t think the Royals would sweat losing him too much. The switch-hitter batted .276/.359/.430 with seven home runs and 17 steals for Omaha, and does a little bit of everything well.

Jordan Woods was an undrafted free agent out of Canada who had Tommy John surgery early on. This summer he tossed six perfect innings with 14 strikeouts in an outing for the Columbia Fireflies. He was moved up to High-A Quad Cities, where he struggled with a 5.80 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 40.1 innings. He is very much a long shot, but his added velocity and flashes of brilliance make him intriguing as a young lefty who has been moved slowly due to his injury.

Other eligible players: Angel Acosta, Andy Basora, Ethan Bosacker, Roni Cabrera, Christian Chamberlain, Dustin Dickerson, Manuel German, Ricson Gonzalez, Tyson Guerrero, Jose Gutierrez, Josh Hansell, Chase Isbell, Brandon Johnson, Justin Johnson, Henson Leal, Chazz Martinez, Mason Miller, Shane Panzini, Hunter Patteson, Coleman Picard, Yimi Presinal, Henry Ramos, Ryan Ramsey, Oscar Rayo, Emmanuel Reyes, Ben Sears, Erick Torres, Luca Tresh, Hyungchan Um, Javier Vaz, Trevor Werner, Henry Williams, Jhosmmel Zue